Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Type 2 Diabetes and gluten free diet

Jillebjill

By Jillebjill
in Related Issues & Disorders

 Share
Go to solution Solved by knitty kitty,

Recommended Posts

Jillebjill Newbie
Jillebjill
Posted

Hello! I'm just wondering if there's anyone that has type 2 diabetes and trying to be gluten free? My daughter was diagnosed with celiac 3 weeks ago now, she is completely gluten free as I have made our house a safe place, being completely gluten free. My family at home is being gluten free except when they are not at home but I am a stay at home mom and have gone completely gluten free along with my daughter. I have noticed my blood sugars going crazy high all the sudden since switching and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced any blood sugar symptoms and what they have done? Any articles I have read about this that are current say type 2 diabetics should not go gluten free but there is no supporting science behind it or much for reasoning.

 

Thank you!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

Jillebjill, welcome to the forum!

Can you link some articles that say people with type 2 diabetes should not go gluten free? The only connection I can think of is that gluten-free flours tend to be carby and are not enriched and fortified and generally don't have much fiber compared to their wheat/whole grain counterparts.

Also, there is often a withdrawal experienced when going gluten free and this could be happening with you such that it is affecting metabolism. Gluten is addicting and interacts with the brain much like opiates do.

Jillebjill Newbie
Jillebjill
Posted
  • Author

That is a very good point, I could just be going through withdrawal and dealing with those symptoms. Here's one article I read, not very helpful tho!

 

https://www.healthshots.com/healthy-eating/nutrition/do-you-have-type-2-diabetes-then-stay-away-from-gluten-free-diets/

  • Solution
knitty kitty Grand Master
knitty kitty
Posted
  • Solution
(edited)

@Jillebjill,

Welcome to the forum!

I have Celiac Disease and Type Two Diabetes.  I follow the Autoimmune Protocol Diet.

Here's a good summary...

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/aip-diet-autoimmune-protocol-diet

Yes, my glucose levels do go up if I eat carbohydrates, so I have to pay attention to portion size and frequency.  

A Gluten free diet is beneficial for Type Two Diabetes...

Gluten intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in three large prospective cohort studies of US men and women

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182774/

And...

Multidimensional Disadvantages of a Gluten-Free Diet in Celiac Disease: A Narrative Review

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7920475/

"A gluten-free diet is based on the products which have a high glycemic index and are devoid of dietary fiber. These foods contain many simple carbohydrates and fats. These factors can give rise to nutritional deficiencies, constipation, and the development of the metabolic syndrome [82]. The malabsorption syndrome observed in celiac disease, as well as an improperly balanced gluten-free diet lead to nutritional deficiencies including iron, folic acid, calcium, and vitamin D, as well as B vitamins and zinc [83]."

 

You need to keep in mind that while gluten containing products are required to be enriched with vitamins and minerals lost in processing, gluten free facsimile foods are not required to be enriched.  Unfortunately, in either case, food manufacturers frequently use cheap vitamins to keep costs down, but these cheap vitamins are not bioavailable forms and can't be assimilated and utilized by our bodies as well.  

One vitamin that Diabetics of both types are deficient in is Thiamine Vitamin B 1.  

I followed Dr. Lonsdale's high dose Thiamine regimen.  With the Autoimmune Protocol Diet and high dose Thiamine, I keep my type two diabetes in check without medications.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Modern Thiamine Deficiency

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8533683/

And one more for good measure...

Possible Prevention of Diabetes with a Gluten-Free Diet

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266002/

The third section discusses type two diabetes.

Hope this helps.  These are all peer-reviewed scientific studies from the National Institute of Health.  

Edited by knitty kitty
Typo correction
Jillebjill Newbie
Jillebjill
Posted
  • Author
9 minutes ago, knitty kitty said:

@Jillebjill,

Welcome to the forum!

I have Celiac Disease and Type Two Diabetes.  I follow the Autoimmune Protocol Diet.

Here's a good summary...

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/aip-diet-autoimmune-protocol-diet

Yes, my glucose levels do go up if I eat carbohydrates, so I have to pay attention to portion size and frequency.  

A Gluten free diet is beneficial for Type Two Diabetes...

Gluten intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in three large prospective cohort studies of US men and women

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182774/

And...

Multidimensional Disadvantages of a Gluten-Free Diet in Celiac Disease: A Narrative Review

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7920475/

"A gluten-free diet is based on the products which have a high glycemic index and are devoid of dietary fiber. These foods contain many simple carbohydrates and fats. These factors can give rise to nutritional deficiencies, constipation, and the development of the metabolic syndrome [82]. The malabsorption syndrome observed in celiac disease, as well as an improperly balanced gluten-free diet lead to nutritional deficiencies including iron, folic acid, calcium, and vitamin D, as well as B vitamins and zinc [83]."

 

You need to keep in mind that while gluten containing products are required to be enriched with vitamins and minerals lost in processing, gluten free facsimile foods are not required to be enriched.  Unfortunately, in either case, food manufacturers frequently use cheap vitamins to keep costs down, but these cheap vitamins are not bioavailable forms and can't be assimilated and utilized by our bodies as well.  

One vitamin that Diabetics of both types are deficient in is Thiamine Vitamin B 1.  

I followed Dr. Lonsdale's high dose Thiamine regimen.  With the Autoimmune Protocol Diet and high dose Thiamine, I keep my type two diabetes in check without medications.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Modern Thiamine Deficiency

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8533683/

And one more for good measure...

Possible Prevention of Diabetes with a Gluten-Free Diet

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266002/

The third section discusses type two diabetes.

Hope this helps.  These are all peer-reviewed scientific studies from the National Institute of Health.  

Thank you so much!! I will for sure take a look at all this info! I greatly appreciate your help!

Rogol72 Community Regular
Rogol72
Posted

I'm not a Diabetic so I can't really speak from a Diabetic's perspective. I've been told many times in the past few years to watch my blood sugar as they were creeping into the "we need to watch this closely" zone, yet I follow AIP and don't consume excess additional sugar. My iron levels have been borderline for a while, so when I focused on addressing that, my blood sugars dropped to normal. I wanted to find out why, so I did some digging and found this article. I've quoted the relevant part. Something to consider.

https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/anemia-and-diabetes#blood-sugar-effect

"How does anemia affect blood sugar levels?

Anemia can affect blood sugar levels in several ways.

One 2010 studyTrusted Source found that anemia produced false high blood sugar levels on glucose meters, leading to dangerous hypoglycemia events after people overtreat that false high blood sugar.

As shown in a 2014 studyTrusted Source, there’s a direct link between anemia caused by iron deficiency and higher amounts of glucose in the blood. A 2017 reviewTrusted Source of several studies found that in people both with and without diabetes, iron-deficiency anemia was correlated with increased A1C numbers.

This resulted from more glucose molecules sticking to fewer red blood cells. After iron-replacement therapy, HbA1c levels in the studies’ participants decreased."

trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

Jillebejill,

Have you been giving attention to supplementation with vitamin and minerals to compensate for the inevitable deficiencies that celiac disease produces? The blunting of the small bowel villi it causes reduces the efficiency of vitamin and mineral absorption from the diet.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens. I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium. I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly. This is safe...
    2. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hello, @Jane02, I take Naturewise D 3. It contains olive oil. Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets. Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking. Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the...
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

      until
      Hello! Join me and treat yourself to a four-day, three-night restorative gluten-free retreat in a peaceful, private coastal retreat setting near Penobscot Bay in Maine. Dates: April 10-13, 2026 Enjoy engaging classes...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,335
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    johnfreirefr
    Newest Member
    johnfreirefr
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.